CONTEXT: Immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin may be used as an indicator of the integrity of the Wnt signaling and beta-catenin degradation pathways. Among mesenchymal tumors, aberrant nuclear localization of beta-catenin is seen in desmoid-type fibromatoses but has not been described for solitary fibrous tumors that may mimic the former lesions, especially in small biopsy samples. OBJECTIVE: To study the immunohistochemical expression of beta-catenin in solitary fibrous tumors. DESIGN: We performed immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin in 12 solitary fibrous tumors, one of which showed histologic features of malignancy. RESULTS: All the tumors showed strong and diffuse reactivity for beta-catenin. Four tumors (33%) showed nuclear staining for beta-catenin, whereas the remaining tumors showed either a membranous or mixed membranous and cytoplasmic pattern of staining. The only histologically malignant tumor of the group showed a mixed membranous and cytoplasmic pattern of staining for beta-catenin. CONCLUSIONS: Immunohistochemical staining for beta-catenin in solitary fibrous tumors does not show a consistent pattern, which may be due to differences in tumorigenesis. Larger studies with clinical follow-up are required for estimating the impact of the variable staining pattern on clinical behavior of these tumors.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Rakheja et al. (2005) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: